AN appeal to replace Nuneaton's stolen war memorial statue is poised to break the #11,000 barrier.

Borough mayor Julie Jackson accepted a cheque for #500 from the Nuneaton-based Heart of England Co-operative Society towards a new infantryman figure.

Appeal organisers say cash continues to pour in to replace the stolen statue and have saluted the generosity of townsfolk, old soldiers and businesses.

Following the presentation of the Co-op cheque, the appeal now stands at #10,787.

Jo Dyke, community and membership adviser at the Co-op, said: "This donation is part of the society's Helping Hearts Awards scheme, which aims to provide financial support to local charities and worthy causes within the Nuneaton and Hinckley area."

The 5ft statue, weighing 1.5 tonnes, was hacked from its plinth in Riversley Park, over-looking Coton Road, hours after Remembrance weekend in November.

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has been consulting the public about the style of the replacement - and most people say they want an exact replica of the original Boer Way infantryman which had stood "guard" in the town for 101 years.

The original statue received a fanfare unveiling in Nun-eaton in 1905.

An estimated 30,000 people crammed the streets of the town to see it unveiled.

Police believe the statue may have been cut up and sold to unscrupulous scrap metal dealers or shipped out to China.

The borough council will soon begin a formal tendering process to replace the statue - originally paid for by public subscription - and council leader Dennis Harvey said: "The response has been fantastic.

"The original infantryman stood for generations - now we want to do something on behalf of those generations yet to come."